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I've Been Waiting for this Day (Episode Oracle)
250px |episode number = 1 |JP Air Date = October 7, 2019 |USA Air Date = October 7, 2019 |opening theme = Destiny |ending theme = Timeless Fortune |next episode title = Eerie Naverius (Episode Oracle) }} I've Been Waiting for this Day is the first episode of the Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle series. It aired on October 7, 2019 on Japanese television networks, and was simulcast by Funimation with English subtitles on the same day for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland audiences. Plot 'Nightmare' The city is in ruins. In the hazy aftermath of an attack, Falspawn have conquered the skies and are hovering about aimlessly. One of the creatures lands nearby, and... ...He wakes up with a jolt. Before him are three hunters, sitting. One of them has his arms crossed and is staring directly this way. Suddenly, someone calls out to him. Turning toward the source, the young man stutters and asks if he can call him "partner"... ...He gasps. Another voice, this time female and gentle, asks if he has another mission after this. She has long hair pulled back into two ponytails and is smiling... A child, resembling him, is walking in a city-like place and stops when a woman calls out to him. Behind her is a group of people standing a ways away. She says to the child, "As of today, this place will be granted authority over you. This parting... was inevitable." The child declines and tells her that she must come with him. She reaches her arm forward, an arm that glimmers like the sea. Suddenly, his vision becomes distorted, as if he is underwater. Regardless, the child runs forward and tries to grab her outreached hand with his own... But before he can, she disappears and he begins to fall. He wakes up in his own room onboard the ship. Overwhelmed with emotion, the young man with jet black hair takes a moment to breathe, realizing he had the same dream again that has been plaguing him. Dangling upon his neck is a device that gleams beneath the stars of space. 'Welcome to ARKS' Oracle is the name of the spacefleet of which the young man is part. It is made up of several spaceships with the Mothership at its core. With its formation, it became possible for humanity to travel outer space, and gave birth to a new history. Upon discovering a new planet, ARKS are tasked with investigating the new land and fulfilling their organization's purpose, which is the eradication of Falspawn that lurk the stars. ARKS are composed of several races: the well-balanced Humans, Photon-wielding specialists called Newmans, and the powerful CASTs. The fleet continues its neverending journey until the day that space may finally find peace. On a campship, Regius addresses the new ARKS recruits through a broadcast monitor, informing them that they are taking their first step into the vast universe and that they must seal their decision by inputting their personal data. He assures them that they are welcomed with open arms. Among the crowd is the young man with jet black hair named Ash. The campship leaves the fleet for its destination. Inside, the new recruits await their first real mission in an awkward silence. Organic humans and newmans sit on padded chairs while casts rest standing up against the wall. Ash is fixated on the device around his neck, when he takes a glance forward. There are three people immediately in front of him in the same positions that they were in his dream. The man with his arms crossed wakes from his nap, causing Ash to gasp. Suddenly, a young man with blonde hair that happens to be sitting next to him calls out, stutters, and asks if he can call his new acquaintance "partner." With a friendly arm outreached, he introduces himself as Afin. Ash considers for a moment and then falls quiet, overwhelmed that some scenes from his dream are playing out similarly in the real world. Afin tells him that it is okay and he can take as long as he likes. Wanting to help open up his colleague, he attempts at small talk, asking where the black-haired man is from. Upon learning that he is from Ship 74, he excitedly exclaims that he is too and asks what school he went to, thinking perhaps they went to the same one. Unfortunately, the black-haired man shoots down his hopes, saying he was raised in an orphanage. Not wanting to give up, Afin moves the conversation into talk of the planet that they are heading for, Naverius, and wondering what it is like down there. The crossed-arm man interjects, asking if Afin has really never heard of Naverius since it was discovered a long time ago. Since there are no Falspawn on the planet anymore, it is considered a safe haven for rookies to be trained. Afin happily exclaims how lucky he and his partner are for how easy this will make things. The red-haired newman dashes his expectations with some humor in her voice, saying the native creatures can be vicious and, with how scrawny Afin is, she says it is likely that he may just die. Afin lets out an uneasy laugh and asks his partner if he had wanted to join ARKS since he was young like Afin has. Unamused, Ash asks if he is truly this curious about other people's lives and then returns the question back to his colleague, "What made you so interested in joining ARKS?" Afin takes a moment to think and then proudly exclaims that he has wanted to see the true sky! Ash looks at him for a moment and then says "I see." Afin lets out a sigh when suddenly the alarms blare, alerting the crew that they are within vicinity of Naverius. With the campship tinged in red, Ash suddenly reveals his true intentions, grasping his necklace device. He wanted to join ARKS for the sole purpose of finding out who he is. The recruits admire the view of the planet, when Ash notices the faint outline of a creature on the surface. The trainer, a Ranger with a standard-issue uniform, commands the rookies to line up and prepare for their first descent. He warns them that if they cannot keep up on the field, they will be left behind, therefore it is important to stay cautious and strive for the final exam. With that said, everyone descends to the surface below. 'Oribe Unit' Birds are chirping and the scene is a lush forest, a stark contrast from the metallic nature of the campship. Oribe Unit almost entirely lands flawlessly, with the exception of Afin, who painfully fell on his back. The unit can't help but laugh at his misfortune, with the trainer telling him that he worries for the young man's future. Afin silently gasps out in pain when an outstretched arm appears directly in front of him to help. Ash, with a smile, asks if he is okay. Afin returns the smile with a big grin of his own and thanks his partner. Hands clutched, he is pulled to his feet and the trainer then decides to continue the training regiment. They are to head for point Beta-1, and in the event that they are intercepted by natives, they are to exterminate them without prejudice. The recruits are then commanded to form ranks and they proceed forward through the forest. After some time, the rookies are startled by a loud roar coming from a nearby pond. A crazed oodan native with a bulbous red growth protruding from its eye is drinking water and appears to be both in pain and agitated. The trainer explains that the native has turned vicious as a result of being infected with the F-Factor. He asks the recruits what they will do with the scenario presented before them. The red-haired newman, a Fighter, eagerly states she will down it in a single hit. Sprinting through the water, she leaps into the air and thrusts one of her fists directly into the growth, causing it to pop. The native screams and collapses, with a red substance drifting into the air from the source of the former growth. The newman is satisfied with herself and smiles at what she has accomplished today, and the trainer proudly awards her a point. He then commands his unit to continue to their destination. As they are walking, Ash feels a sudden sense of unease and stops in his tracks, taking a battle stance. Afin turns to him and asks his partner what's wrong. The trainer urges the recruits to continue moving when suddenly red portals appear, surrounding them. The creatures that emerge are four-legged bug-like entities that screech and skitter, about as tall if not taller than a standard human and armed with claws and a deadly horned blade on its face. Afin is suddenly alerted on his handheld device that emergency Code F has been issued for Planet Naverius, confirming spacial distortion in the area. The trainer urgently informs his unit that these creatures are falspawn and they need to get into formation, now. They manage to stand their ground for a time, however, it is too late and the unit is eventually surrounded and overwhelmed. Impaled, dismembered, and disemboweled, the scene immediately turns grim. Ash manages to ward off a creature and notices Afin being chased. As he is running, the blonde-haired youth trips and falls. Noticing the sight of his red-haired comrade, he is shocked to see that she has been decapitated and the bloody head before him does not have a body. In the time it takes for him to process this, the falspawn has caught up to him and prepares its claws for the kill. Afin shrieks when suddenly a photon blade swipes the monster's head and arm clean off. It is Ash and he quickly informs Afin that they are the only two still left alive. The duo run for their lives together with a trail of falspawn following their every move. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Regius wonders why the falspawn appeared on Naverius. Learning that Oribe Unit has been wiped out with only two survivors, Regius commands that they must send aid immediately. 'Rendezvous' Some time later, the sky is dark, thundering, and rain has overcome the forest. Ash and Afin had managed to escape the falspawn that were tailing them and took refuge in a nearby cave. Near the cave's entrance, Ash is leaning against the cave wall, staring out toward the forest and drinking a monomate to replenish his energy. His companion, in contrast, is very distressed after the day's events and is sitting in the fetal position with his face buried beneath his crossed arms, facing Ash. Ash offers a drink to his partner and is met with silence. After a pause, Afin explains the scenario today was eerily similar to an event that happened 10 years ago when everyone before him died in the Ship 74 falspawn massacre. At the time, he was just a child so he could only watch. It was this traumatizing event that pushed Afin to become a member of ARKS, and that he didn't truly join just to see the sky. He continues, saying that he is looking for something that he lost 10 years ago. Ash decides to reciprocate his honesty with some of his own, and tells the blonde-haired youth that today was the first time he has ever seen falspawn. Confused, Afin asks where he could have possibly been on Ship 74 if he never saw them. Ash pauses, and then answers by simply revealing his name, Ash, which he never did previously when his newman companion introduced himself on the campship. Afin smiles, ignoring the blatant deflection, and, in lighter spirits now, says he hopes they can get along. Just as they decide to continue heading for the teleport point, an el ahda falspawn appears at the entrance of the cave. Elsewhere, with Code F initiated, Zeno and Echo are sprinting in the forest. On Zeno's handheld device, the operator informs them that the survivors from Oribe Unit are engaged with falspawn to which Zeno demands to know their location coordinates, immediately. Deeper in the forest, Gettemhult and his partner, Seana, are likewise interested in the brewing events and decide to make haste toward the source. The falspawn have assembled a small army led by the flying el ahda and are chasing the duo. Ash decides to fight, turning to face his pursuers and slashes one of them in half. Afin fires his rifle, cursing his bad luck for missing his target multiple times and just manages to dodge one of the falspawn's claws. However, this provided an opening for the el ahda, which promptly grabs the newman by the arms and carries him into the sky. A few seconds into their flight and a stray bullet strikes one of the falspawn's glowing appendages, causing it to dissipate. Afin is briefly stunned by the second fall he has suffered today on his back, and now the falspawn attempt to seize this opportunity by swarming nearby. This, unbeknownst to them, makes them easy targets for their sniper whom picks them off one by one. As it turns out, Zeno was staking out on a ledge and providing support fire with his gunslash. Thankful that he was saved, by an ARKS celebrity no less, Afin's glee becomes confusion when Ash bluntly asks who that person is. Zeno approaches the duo, despite his partner Echo lagging behind, and recognizes Ash... but does not remember from where. Thinking briefly, he decides to drop it when he notices the visible confusion on the rookies' faces and laughs it off. Echo finally catches up to the group and chides Zeno for being uncaring about his comrade's wellbeing. With the rain gone, the group decides to rest on an open rocky ledge close by. Ash recounts the tragic events that unfolded earlier. Zeno, feeling pity for them, tells the rookie duo that it is important that they saw the harsh truth that comes with being an ARKS and fighting the falspawn early on rather than be forever blinded by heroic naivety. Echo nudges him to lighten his tone, to which Zeno counters by saying that "as long as you're in ARKS, you'll someday see your comrades die," and the sooner that they learn that, the longer they can live. Ash and Afin sit in silence when suddenly two monomates are thrown in their direction. In an immediate tone change, Zeno reminds them that they don't need to brood over everything and to keep their spirits high. As Zeno and Echo argue, Ash and Afin chuckle at the two, when Ash's attention is drawn to something far off in the distance. He takes his leave and Afin, once more confused, nods a thanks to his saviors and chases after his partner. 'The White-Haired Girl and the Masked Apparition' A bright, sparkling light emanates from the sky near a large tree beyond the grassy prairie. Standing below the source of the light, he looks up in awe as a young lady descends slowly from the sky. She opens her crying eyes and, knowing Ash's name, pleads for him to kill her. She falls into his arms, now fast asleep but still crying. Ash sets her down on one of the tree's roots while Afin, Zeno, and Echo manage to catch up and wonder who she is. As they ponder the nature of this girl, a masked person in a black coat emerges from a red spacial distortion portal falspawn typically travel through and swings his sword, aiming for the girl. The destructive force from his swing causes a mini explosion when Zeno engages the enemy with his own weapon, holding their attacker back as Afin, Echo, and Ash, holding the girl, are all blown away by the blast. Zeno demands answers from their masked assailant for attacking them, however, the person answers with silence and easily overpowers the hot-blooded young man with a swing of his sword and a swift kick to the chest. Zeno lands a ways away on his feet as the rest of them stare in awe at the powerful foe standing before them. The masked person stands tall, points a finger at the white-haired lady, and states in a distorted voice, "I am... the one who will kill that girl. And also," now turning his focus to Ash, "the one who will kill you." The masked assailant leaps into the air, preparing his sword for another deadly strike. Zeno takes a defensive stance, bracing himself to deflect another hit to protect them when suddenly a blue-haired man with a crazed expression jumps onto the scene, intercepts the masked person's attack in the air with a swing from his fists, and knocks the attacker back onto the tree. The attacker gasps. Gettemhult, with fury in his voice, praises his decision to investigate the mission on a whim. He yells to his partner, commanding Seana to search the ARKS database for information on their foe, however, she informs him that there is no information logged. Gettemhult turns back toward the masked man, saying "In other words, it shouldn't matter if I pulverize them, right?" The masked apparition considers the chances against forces that have allied with each other and have now outnumbered him, and then disappears. Gettemhult curses that his foe ran away, puts away his weapon and decides to engage the group before him. Zeno hesitantly thanks him for saving them and, when their savior is not looking, Echo sticks her tongue out to mock him. Gettemhult looks at the rookies with disgust for being weak yet believing they could protect others. Zeno, agitated, tells his fellow ARKS to cut the rookies a break since they barely enlisted today. Now turning his attention to Zeno, Gettemhult looks at him with a face of condescension, saying he confused Zeno for a new recruit and asks if he was pretending to be their elder to look after them. "What a big boy you've become, Zeno." Zeno silently looks away in defeat. Gettemhult bids farewell to the pathetic group, yelling at Seana to follow. Seana soft-spokenly excuses herself and the two continue on their own journey. The group of four decide to return back to the ship and get the mysterious white-haired young lady to a doctor. 'Fate Takes a New Course' At the hospital, the nurse tells everyone that there is nothing particularly wrong with the girl and asks them to call if they need anymore help. The young lady is passed out on a hospital bed with her long hair pulled down, no longer tied back in ponytails. Zeno and Echo decide to take their leave now that their work is finished, which leaves Ash and Afin alone in the room with the young lady. Afin turns toward her and wonders who she could possibly be, a person that has managed to not have any identification nor is associated with ARKS. Ash monologues to himself, saying that she did somehow know his name, however. Afin turns toward Ash and tells him that he has had enough action today and that he will be taking his leave for now, as well, to rest. He bids his partner adieu and leaves the room. Ash glances at the young lady one last time before deciding that he, too, should take his leave. Heading for the door, a woman with a lab coat appears behind him saying that she has been waiting for him. Parts of her body appear to glimmer like the sea. She reconsiders, saying that the meaning of those words may be skewed. Ash faces her and is shocked to see the woman from his dream. She then says, "Perhaps it should be, 'I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.'" She introduces herself as Xion and thanks Ash for progressing fate along a new course for himself and the white-haired young lady that she regards as Matoi. She then apologizes, saying her vague words may be difficult to understand, but at this time, she insists, it is not necessary to comprehend just yet. She is certain that he will be able to save many lives, and for now, that alone is all that is important for him to grasp. She then turns around and disappears, leaving a now bewildered Ash alone in the hospital room with Matoi. Elsewhere, a man laughs, having watched the scene play out on a large monitor. He applauds Xion and expresses his excitement to see what "useless struggle" she is planning. The monitor prominently displays information about Ash and an image of Matoi. The man then smiles a devious cheshire grin. Trivia *The opening nightmare sequence is very similar to Rolf's dream in Phantasy Star II. Although contextually different, both protagonists feel a mass of emotions stemming from a mysterious dream that does not immediately make sense to themselves or the viewers. Gallery :The Phantasy Star wiki has an extensive image gallery for this episode. Category:Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode Oracle